Hi everyone!
I took the pics below coming back from my trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, on March 4th. I was awake, as you can see! :) Couldn't resist the gorgeous colors in the sky. I always like to take advantage of my plane trips to see the world from a completely different angle! It's the real deal. I'm not watching a plane ride on TV. I'm on it! And I want to be present with the emotions and sensations. Even if it's from a commercial passenger plane :)
The Houston International Festival was a great experience! There are somethings about music festivals that I love. Like the mix of generations, the art crafts, musicians from all over the world. Sometimes the food is great too! Also the fact that we get to share what we love the most with people that probably would never have seen us otherwise. And the other way around. Do you like to go out to music festivals? 
AMALA FOUNDATIONI'd like to give this a plug! This year’s Global Youth Peace Summit will unite 70 youth from over 25 different countries for a week-long experience devoted to healing, cultural exchange, leadership development and community-building. For more information on this transformational event, please click on the video to the left or visit: www.amalafoundation.org/projects/global-youth-peace-summit
It's cloudy today here in Austin, TX. The temperature is very comfortable... the plants are happy! I'm happy to be alive and healthy! I'm so thankful for Nature! I'm addicted now to usual walks with Robert on the many trails of Austin. And, when there is water flowing in the creeks, it's so pretty and soothing.
Nature in Austin, TX and Cabo Frio, RJ - Brazil, is somewhat similar. Both places have the same kind of cactus. Here are two examples, pics taken in Cabo Frio:
Of course, one big difference is that, just behind these cactus, you find this in Cabo Frio:
Boa tarde gente! In this blog you'll find eclectic things. A few gorgeous pics that I took in February of Cabo Frio beaches. Also a love declaration from me to you :) Musical notes, including upcoming shows and video links. Please leave your comments!!
I'd like to express my gratitude to my new community here in Austin! You guys and girls rock!! I love the place I live, the 'tree house', where I hear several different bird songs! Oh yeah... yesterday during my afternoon walk I saw two vultures eating a squirrel! It's scary to start a new life in a new place, after having lived in Seattle for 17 years. And before that, of course, Rio de Janeiro (we'll leave the number of years blank :). Of course I miss my friends both in Seattle and Rio. And my family in Brazil! For a moment I thought I'd move back to Rio. But Austin had other plans for me :) OK, before I start crying, here are some musical notes: THIS MONDAY APRIL 1 - First Monday of Every Month Paula Maya performs a tribute to Tom Jobim & Bossa Nova at Buenos Aires Cafe 7-9pm no cover all ages SAT APRIL 20 at the Houston International Festival, with Brad Taylor on bass, Joe McCreary on drums and Darin Layne on guitar. 12:30 - 1:30 on the Texas Stage 5:30 - 6:15 on the Cultural Stage (This later set will be a bossa nova tribute) Downtown Houston, TX SAT JUN 1 The trio will be back at Satellite Bistro & Bar 7-10pm They have a baby grand piano! Fun to play :)
Oh yeah! Enjoying a cold beer today at SXSW on South Congress!
SXSW SHOWS UPDATE:
FRIDAY 8PM - Hey everybody, I'm performing this Friday 8-9pm at Guero's on South Congress, as a guest of Gina Chavez and her band! No wristband necessary.
SUNDAY 3PM - With special guest Sergio Santos on percussion! My band is performing at Lucy's for the Brazilian Unnoficial SXSW Showcase!
Hey all! I have 2 updates: My time to perform on Sunday March 17th is 3pm! 1/2 hour showcase. That's the 5th Annual Unofficial Brazilian SXSW Showcase, at Lucy's Retired Surfer Bar. You can RSVP here! It looks like I'll be performing at Guero's on Friday the 15th as a guest of Gina Chavez and her band! They are headlining, around 8pm. I'll post more details soon, so check back!
Monday March 4th I´ll be back in Austin, TX. Straight from the airport to Buenos Aires Cafe.. so to speak! It´s my monthly tribute to Tom Jobim & Bossa Nova. First Monday of every month, 7-9pm, I´m at 1201 E.6th St. I miss you all, and hope you can come have a drink and some empanadas with us. Time runs faster and faster... it´s hard to believe that I´ve been in Rio for almost one month now. I have so many cool pics to share! Will be sharing them all year long. For now, no pics. I´m writing this blog from the LAN House, as they call it here. Not from my computer. Love you all!
Monday afternoon we went to the ´concentração das escolas de samba` by the Sambódromo, downtown Rio de Janeiro, to take some pics of the amazing floats!
In the evening, the best ´bloco de carnaval` so far: Rancho Flôr do Sereno, in Copacabana beach, where I grew up. What we call ´bloco parado`, because it stays in one place. Their repertoire is great, bringing back songs that were almost forgotten. Twenty five top notch musicians on stage! And, shameless plug, they played two songs that you can hear my band perform in Austin, TX!
Yesterday morning we went to Bagunça O Meu Coreto, in Larangeiras neighborhood. It was packed! One tradition of this ´bloco` is that the people watching from their apartments must throw water on the ´foliões`. And, if they don´t, everybody start screamming: water, water, water! Then, lunch at Severina for some typical food from the Northeast of Brazil, such as macaxeira, carne de sol, carne assada, feijão de corda and, of course, cachaça.
The last ´bloco` of the day was Largo do Machado Mas Não Largo do Copo, in Largo do Machado neighborhood.
Then, the ´saideira` in the traditional restaurant ´Lamas`. We finished the evening eating some sushi at Mitsuba, in the Tijuca neighborhood.
Yesterday was feijoada time with friends and lots of caipirinhas made with cachaça! Feijoada is a traditional Brazilian dish made with black beans and lots of pork parts, including ears, feet and tale. Accompanied by collard greens, cut in very thin strips, white rice, farofa and oranges. Farofa is another traditional dish, made with browned manioc flour in butter, sometimes with eggs and pieces of bacon mixed in. The oranges help cut the fat and digest this heavy meal! Cachaça is similar to tequila, made from sugar cane. The traditional caipirinha is made with cachaça, fresh limes, ice and sugar. We even had a bottle flavored with jambu, which is a fruit from the North of Brazil, found in Belém do Pará, that makes the lips go numb. A first for me. Today I´ll be out there again, having a good time in the best blocos de carnaval do Rio. I´ll be writing about it tomorrow!
 Yesterday we went to the bloco Cordão do Prata Preta, na Praça da Harmonia na Gamboa, Rio de Janeiro. Named in honor of longshoreman, capoeirista and activist Horácio José da Silva, better known as Prata Preta. He was a leader in an uprising of 1904 known as Revolta da Vacina. This area used to be a port, with water where you see the people in the pic above.
We went around the neighborhood singing and dancing, the traditional way of enjoying carnaval in the ´blocos de rua´ . All the traditional songs, some composed 100 years ago. A lot of young people don´t know this. They think the songs are new! Great songs live forever! Today is feijoada and caipirinha time here at my friend´s place. Sherlock is a great cook!
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